Can Man Help God?

Genesis 16

Can man help God to fulfill His promises? Never! He rather calls us and equips us for His work. Here in this chapter, we see that Sarai and Abraham, having received the promise from God to be the source of many descendants, they wanted to help God but it did not work because only God can do what He wants to do. If God needs our help to do anything on earth, He ceases to be God and just another man. Some have said that heaven helps those who help themselves. That’s not a biblical saying but a human philosophy to portray a ‘partnership with God’. In simple terms, God didn’t need Abraham and Sarai to make up a strategy to help Him.

https://livingourbible.wordpress.com/2024/01/19/too-many-to-be-counted/

What can we learn from this chapter to help us put our trust in God?

#1. Man’s efforts to help God does not work. (Genesis 16:1-6)

It happened that after waiting for the promised child, Sarai suggested to Abraham that he take Hagar and make babies with her. This was to say that the problem of barrenness was with Sarai and not Abraham. It was to help God facilitate the process. But alas, she became pregnant but it was not God’s way of fulfilling His promise to the couple. In our world today, someone needing a child may want to use other means not divinely directed to conceive and say God did it for them. It is very easy to believe God will do it but very difficult to wait for it to be fulfilled. We may think God is late but He is never late because He works according to His timetable and not ours.

#2. God corrects our wrong steps. (Genesis 16:7-15)

Hagar left the house because of the adverse conditions with her madam. In the wilderness, the angel of the Lord met her and gave her direction to go back and also gave her details of the son to be born including his name. The whole arrangement by Abraham and Sarai was a flop but God stepped in to straighten the crooked path. He settled the dust for Hagar to peacefully give birth to Ishmael in Abraham’s house. None of us is perfect in our dealings with other people but God can make wrong moves correct. Even though the arrangements did not work, He gave direction to make it work for good. He alone can settle ailing relationship to bring peace. He is the God who sees indeed.

When we make wrong decisions, God is merciful enough to correct our wrongs and put us on the right path of life. All things work together for good to those who put their trust in Him.

Take Action: Trust in the Lord that His processes will bring you to the desirable place He has promised you.